Greece
Early People of the Aegean
Minoans
1750 B.C., the Minoans built the first
Greek civilization on the island of Crete
Were sea traders who traveled to Egypt and
Mesopotamia
Learned new ideas and technology through
trade
Adapted these new ideas to their own culture
Minotaur
In Greek mythology
the Minotaur was half
man, half bull and
resided in the center
of a labyrinth on the
isle of Crete
Mycenaens
1400 B.C., the Mycenaeans conquered
Crete and built a new civilization
Were also sea traders
Learned many skills, including writing, from
the Minoans
Passed on these influences to the Greeks
The Mycenaeans are best remembered for
the Trojan War
Trojan War
1250 B.C., the
Mycenaeans defeated
the city of Troy
Much of what we
know about this
period comes from
reading the epic
poems of Homer (The
Iliad and the
Odyssey)
Achilles
“Do you know what’s
on that beach?
Infamy! Its yours
take it!”
Achilles was dipped
into the River Styx by
his mother
She held him upside
down by his ankle, his
only weak spot;
Achilles Heel
End of Mycenae
Around 1200 B.C. sea
raiders attacked the
Mycenaeans
For the next 300
years, Greek
civilization slowly
declined
The Rise of Democracy
Judaism's Ten
Commandments
established a standard of
moral conduct for society
Old Testament prophets
denounced tyranny and
injustice, inspiring future
generations to oppose
unjust rulers
Judaism and Christianity
emphasize the dignity and
self worth of every person
Moses
Who looked a lot like
Ben Hur, who looked
a lot like
Michelangelo, who
looked a lot like that
guy from Planet of
the Apes, who looked
a lot like Charlton
Heston that N.R.A.
guy
Athens
Athens became the
first democracy
Had a direct
democracy
All male citizens met in
the assembly, where
they debated laws and
decided important
government policies
Citizens
Only 1/5 of the people of Athens were
citizens
Athenian law denied citizenship to women,
slaves and foreign residents
Victory & Defeat in the Greek
World
490 B.C., the Persians
attacked the city-state
of Athens
Though they were
often bitterly divided,
the other city-states
put away their
differences and joined
the Athenians
The Athenians
defeated the Persians
at Marathon
Marathon
Pheidippides was told
to sprint 26 miles to
Athens to present the
news of victory
He said “Rejoice, we
conquer,” and then
died
Round Two
480 B.C., the Persians
burned Athens, however
it was empty
The Athenians had put
their faith in their warships
and defeated the Persian
fleet
One year later they
defeated the Persian army
on land
Athens emerged as the
most powerful city-state
in Greece
The Delian League
Athens organized the Delian League – a
democratic alliance with other Greek city-states
Was used by Athens to rebuild the Athenian empire
Golden Age of Athens
Pericles ruled Athens
from 460 B.C. to 429
B.C.
This period is known
as the Age of Pericles
Direct Democracy
Athens had a direct democracy under
Pericles
Male citizens ran the government as they had
a special responsibility to participate
Athens prospered in the Age of Pericles
and became the cultural center of Greece
Many thinkers, writers, and artists came to
Athens
Socrates
Invented the Socratic
Method
Answering a question
with a question
Charged with
polluting the minds of
Athens’ youth
Drank hemlock as his
death sentence
Plato
Pupil of Socrates
Possibly invented
Socrates
Greek Against Greek
Sparta resented Athenian domination and
created a group to counter the Delian League
The Peloponnesian League – encouraged oligarchy
The Peloponnesian War
Broke out 431 B.C.
After 27 years Athens
was defeated by Sparta
and Persia
After the Peloponnesian
War ended fighting
continued throughout
the Greek world
Sparta was defeated by
another Greek city-state,
Thebes
Fall of Democracy
Athenian democracy became corrupt
It was being used to further the interests of
its leaders
The instability of Greek city-states left the
peninsula open to Macedonian influences
Alexander and the Hellenistic Age
Philip gained the
throne of Macedonia
in 359 B.C. and took
control of the Greek
city-states in 338 B.C.
Philip’s Death
Philip next wanted to
conquer the Persian
Empire but was
murdered at his
daughter’s wedding
His wife, Olympias,
pronounces her son as
the head of the empire
Alexander the Great
At 20 years old, he
was already an
experienced soldier
His tutor was Aristotle,
who educated him of
science, literature and
Greek heroism
Conquering the Known World
To prevent rebellion from Greek city-
states he destroyed Thebes when it
attempted to break away
He burned the city down and killed or
enslaved survivors
Expanding the Empire
He fulfills his father’s dream and conquers the Persian
Empire
He expands Greek influence across the Persian Empire
His soldiers enter India & see elephants for the 1st time
Alexander’s Death
The soldiers wish to return home to enjoy
the spoils of war
They had traveled 11,000 miles in 7 years
Upon returning home Alexander dies of a
sudden fever, leaving no successor